The prime minister of the Cabinet (, ''Naegak Chongri Daeshin'') of

Korea Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) comprising its northern half and South Korea (Republic o ...

during the

Joseon dynasty Joseon (; ; Middle Korean: 됴ᇢ〯션〮 Dyǒw syéon or 됴ᇢ〯션〯 Dyǒw syěon), officially the Great Joseon (; ), was the last dynastic kingdom of Korea, lasting just over 500 years. It was founded by Yi Seong-gye in July 1392 and re ...

was the non-executive

head of government The head of government is the highest or the second-highest official in the executive branch of a sovereign state, a federated state, or a self-governing colony, autonomous region, or other government who often presides over a cabinet, a gro ...

of the

Korean Empire The Korean Empire () was a Korean monarchical state proclaimed in October 1897 by Emperor Gojong of the Joseon dynasty. The empire stood until Japan's annexation of Korea in August 1910. During the Korean Empire, Emperor Gojong oversaw the Gwa ...

. The prime minister was appointed by the

emperor of Korea Imperial titles were used in various historical Korean states before the 14th century and at the turn of the 20th century: Early Korean states used "great king", "greatest king", and "holy king"; later Korean states used "emperor". Korean monarc ...

had to enjoy the confidence of the parliament to remain in office. He was the head of the

Cabinet Cabinet or The Cabinet may refer to: Furniture * Cabinetry, a box-shaped piece of furniture with doors and/or drawers * Display cabinet, a piece of furniture with one or more transparent glass sheets or transparent polycarbonate sheets * Filing ...

and led the various administrative branches and supervision and appointment rights in the name of the monarch of the other ministers of state. The literal translation of the Korean name for the office is ''Prime Minister of the Cabinet of the Korean Empire''.

History

Prior to the adoption of the modern constitution, Korea had in practice no written constitution. Originally, a Chinese-inspired legal system was enacted. It described a government based on an elaborate and rational meritocratic bureaucracy, serving, in theory, under the ultimate authority of the monarch. Under this system, the ''

yeonguijeong ''Yeonguijeong'' () was a title created in 1400, during the Joseon Kingdom and the Korean Empire times (1392–1910) and given to the Chief State Councillor as the highest government position of "Uijeongbu" (State Council). Existing for over 500 ...

'', or chief state councillor, was the head of the State Council, the highest organ of Korea's pre-modern royal government during the Joseon era and until briefly under the Korean Empire. The office was replaced with the appointment of

Kim Hong-jip Kim Hong-jip (1842–1896) was a Korean politician best known for his role as prime minister during the Gabo Reform period from 1895–1896. His name was originally Kim Goeng-jip () which he later changed to Kim Hong-jip. His father, Kim ...

(previously the last ''Yeonguijeong'') to the new position of Prime Minister in 1895 with the Gabo Reform. With the annexation of Korea to the Empire of Japan the office came to an end. During the Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea in Exile in Shanghai, China, a prime minister position was recreated for a brief few days for

Syngman Rhee Syngman Rhee (, ; 26 March 1875 – 19 July 1965) was a South Korean politician who served as the first president of South Korea from 1948 to 1960. Rhee was also the first and last president of the Provisional Government of the Republic of Ko ...

to replace the chairman of the Provisional Legislative Assembly. The role was changed over to Chief Executive in 1919, changed again as Premier 1919-1926 and finally as President from 1926–1948. The current divided Korea has two respective prime ministers on both sides, which are the

prime minister of North Korea The Premier of the Cabinet () is the head of government of North Korea and a key adviser to the Supreme Leader of North Korea. The office is also alternatively known as Prime Minister of North Korea. The prime minister of North Korea is the h ...

and the prime minister of South Korea.

Lists of prime ministers of Korea

List of prime ministers of Korea This is a list of prime ministers (w''ijongdaeshin''), including those of the Joseon and the Korean Empire, from when the first Korean prime minister (in the modern sense) took office in 1895, and during the early years of being under Japanese ru ...

ja:内閣総理大臣 (大韓帝国) ko:대한제국의 내각총리대신 zh:大韩帝国内阁总理大臣列表 {{korea-stub